Syrian government: we have not made a single violation of Kofi Annan's ceasefire

Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister claims the government has not violated a Kofi
Annan brokered ceasefire and blames armed opponents of president Bashar
al-Assad for bloodshed since the truce was implemented six weeks ago.

12:33PM BST 29 May 2012

Faisal Miqdad says it is foreign-backed "terrorists", not Syrian government forces who have violated the six-week-old ceasefire brokered by UN-Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan.

"During this time, Syria has not done a single violation of Annan's plan or the initial understanding between Syria and the United Nations. At the same time, the other party has not committed to a single point. This means that there are decisions not to implement Annan's plan and make it fail by the armed groups and the opposition," Mr Miqdad said after a brief meeting with Mr Annan in Damascus.

The talks and the minister's comments to reporters came ahead of Mr Annan's scheduled meeting with President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian capital.

Mr Annan had arrived in Damascus on Monday following a massacre in Houla last week during which 108 people were killed.

Syria's government blames Islamist militants for the massacre while United Nations observers have implicated the Syrian army.

Mr Miqdad said Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Mouallem, who Mr Annan met on Monday, had assured the envoy of Syria's readiness to implement his peace plan, and blamed rebels for not dong so.

"Our Foreign Minister assured Syria's readiness to implement it but the other party is the one that is having the problem," he said.

He added that the Syrian government expected Mr Annan to call countries supporting opponents of President Assad to order.

"So we think that Mr Annan will make all efforts, in the next few days and weeks, to convince the countries that are financing and supporting those terrorist groups to stop lying about wanting the plan to succeed," he said.